On OS 9.2.1, how can you access shared files from windows computers?

I'm a total newbie Mac user. I got a Powerbook 3 Pismo off of ebay, got OS 9.2.1 installed, and enabled file sharing. Web browsing is working and I have an IP address.

How do I access the shared folder from my windows 8 machines?

Solution 1:

Mac OS 9 has no built-in support for Windows file sharing. There were third-party file sharing applications for Mac OS to allow access to Windows networks, and there were also Windows server tools which could allow Mac access to Windows servers. One tool I remember using was DAVE, from Thursby software. It used to be a Windows networking kit for Mac, but has morphed into something else now. If you found an older version it might work, but I doubt it would be compatible with the latest Windows.

I'd recommend looking for an FTP server for your Windows machine and a FTP client for your Mac.

Solution 2:

Not a specific answer to the question, but one alternative is to use a FAT32 formatted USB stick. This is compatible with OS 9. Setting up an FTP server to migrate files back and forth is handy in the moment, but going back and forth between the two systems to turn on the server, connect, move files probably takes longer than just putting on the USB stick.